Machine for joining a cross member to a base element

ABSTRACT

A cross member having a perforated wall is securely joined by the machine to a base element having a malleable projection which fits through the perforation. At a first station a base element is loaded onto a support nest. A cross member is interlockingly fed transversely onto the base element at a second station with portions of the cross member extending laterally outwardly on both sides. Nest support means on each side of the base element are adapted to support and resiliently resist movement of a mounted cross member against the base element. A swaging punch at a third station deforms the base element projection to lock the cross member in place; stripper elements acting in opposition to the lateral nest support means hold the cross member at a desired spatial orientation in contact with the base element. The nests are moved progressively from station to station, and finally to a discharge station where the joined member and element assembly is removed. The invention has particular importance in applications where it is desired to avoid stressing the cross member during mounting and joinder, and may be used to join a slide member to a back in the formation of a razor assembly.

United States Patent [191 Choate et al.

[451 Jan. 21, 1975 MACHINE FOR JOINING A CROSS MEMBER TO A BASE ELEMENT[75] Inventors: Richard V. Choate, Hanson;

Leonard W. Williamson, Lexington, both of Mass.

[73] Assignee: The Gillette Company, Boston,

Mass.

22 Filed: Aug. 24, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 391,269

[52] US. Cl 29/208 E [51] Int. Cl 823p 19/04 [58] Field of Search 29/208F, 208 D, 200 B, 29/211 D, 200 D, 208 E [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3,393,439 7/1968 Shriver 29/208 F 3,606,66l 9/1971Schoepe et al. 29/208 F Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager [57] ABSTRACT Across member having a perforated wall is securely joined by the machineto a base element having a malleable projection which fits through theperforation. At a first station a base element is loaded onto a supportnest. A cross member is interlockingly fed transversely onto the baseelement at a second station with portions of the cross member extendinglaterally outwardly on both sides. Nest support means on each side ofthe base element are adapted to support and resiliently resist movementof a mounted cross member against the base element. A swaging punch at athird station deforms the base element projection to lock the crossmember in place; stripper elements acting in opposition to the lateralnest support means hold the cross member at a desired spatialorientation in contact with the base element. The nests are movedprogressively from station to station, and finally to a dischargestation where the joined member and element assembly is removed.

The invention has particular importance in applications where it isdesired to avoid stressing the cross member during mounting and joinder,and may be used to join a slide member to a back in the formation of arazor assembly.

35 Claims, 22 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN21 I975 SHEET 1 or 7 FIG I FIG2 PATENTH] JANZI I975 SHEEIZOF? FIG 5 PATENTEU JANZ! I975,

SHEET 3 0F 7 FIG. 7

FIG. 6

PATENTED JANZ 1 I975 SHEET t 0F 7 FIG 8 l B F PATENTEU JANE! I975 sum 501 FIG I2 PAIENTED 3.861.019

sum war 1 MACHINE FOR JOINING A CROSS MEMBER TO A BASE ELEMENTBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the joinder ofsolid elements, and more particularly to a machine for joining a crossmember transversely to a base element.

A known solution to the problem of joining two such pieces is to providea projection on one piece that fits through a perforation on the other,and then deform the projection by a swaging operation when the piecesare interlocked. Several problems may arise during such an operation.For example, the cross member may become dislodged from a desiredposition before or during deformation of the projection and therebycause the pieces to be joined ot of proper alignment. If a cross memberis held rigidly in place with respect to the base element, however,there may be a danger of damaging the cross member because of therelatively large force generally required to deform the base elementprojection. For example, if a solid cross member support is provided,repeated swaging may deform the support and cause subsequent crossmembers to be bent or broken.

Precision in swaging is also an important consideration, as too shallowan impression may result in a loose joint, while an unduly deepimpression may produce a weak or broken joint. In a large scaleoperation, there must in addition be a capability of moving the partsrapidly into and out of the operating area, at the same time ensuringthe machinery is capable of withstanding frequent and repeated swagingimpacts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To solve the above-stated problems, the presentinvention provides a machine for accurately and repetitively joiningcross members having a perforated wall transversely to base elementswhich have a malleable projection, by deforming the head of theprojection where it is fitted through the perforation. It is an objectof the invention to provide a novel and improved machine to perform suchan operation without imposing damaging stress to the cross member whenthe projection is deformed. Another object is the provision of a joiningmachine with a novel and improved means for aligning a cross member withrespect to a base element and for maintaining the alignment during thejoining operation. It is another object to provide a novel and improvedmachine capable of rapidly and continuously joining a large number ofcross members and base elements. Still another object is the provisionof a novel and improved machine to deform a base element projection bymeans of a swaging punch, and having means to non-destructively absorbthe impact of the punch.

Other objects relate to particular features of the invention and includethe provision of a novel and improved support nest to securely hold abase element v ment of the parts, and novel and improved means operatingin conjunction with the said nests for removing the joined pieces.

In the accomplishment of the above objects, a plurality of support nestsare moved through a number of operating stations, preferably by means ofa turntable supporting the nests along the upper surface with theoperating stations arranged around the periphery. Each nest includes ananvil to carry a base element with its projection facing outward and toreceive the impact of a swaging operation. Cross member support meansare disposed laterally to each side of the anvil and provide a yieldingresistance to movement of a supported cross member against the anvil. Ina particular embodiment, the lateral support means comprises crossmember support bars slidably carried in the nest above compressiblespring means, and provides a balanced resistance to downward movementofthe support bars. The base element is held on the anvil by a springoperated clamp mechanism.

At a first station base elements are loaded one at a time onto thenests. According to one feature of the invention, the station includesan open bottomed receptacle to vertically stack a plurality of baseelements over a discharge gate at the lower end, the gate being actuatedby the presence of a nest below the receptacle to release a single baseelement onto the nest and to prevent the release of further baseelements until the arrival of other nests. In a particular embodimentthe gate includes a lower base element blocking surface and an offsetbut overlapping upper base element blocking surface, the gate in aclosed position supporting all the base elements on the lower surface,and in an open position supporting all but the bottommost base elementby the upper surface. With this arrangement the upper gate surfaceengages the base elements before the lower surface becomes disengaged.The gate is mounted on a pivotable arm actuated by cam means on arotatable shaft, a striker arm moving with each nest being adapted torotate the shaft and thereby open the gate. The shaft also includes alever to open base element clamps on the nest when the shaft is rotated,and means are provided to restore the shaft to an initial position whenthe nest has passed.

A second station feeds cross members transversely onto base elementsheld in the nests. The provision of positioning means to accuratelyplace the cross members with the base element projections extendingthrough the cross member perforations and the cross members supported bythe lateral nest support means is another feature. The feed station in aparticular embodiment includes a hatchway adapted to receive and holdsingle cross members, and a plunger above the hatchway movable in adownward stroke to grippingly engage a cross member and force it throughthe hatchway onto a nest below. A cross member is supported at thestation on a pair of pivotal jaws, the plunger including a pusher toforce the member between the jaws and spread them apart, guide means onthe pusher engageable with wall surfaces on the cross member to pilotthe cross member onto the nest, and a pair of spring biased arms to gripthe cross member during a downward stroke. Spring means reclose the jawsat the bottom of the stroke to disengage the cross member when theplunger is retracted. The station also includes in this embodiment anarm adopted to move into engagement with the base element to insure thelocation of the base element in the nest while the plunger is lowered.

At a swaging station the head of the base element projection extendingthrough the cross member is swaged and deformed to lock the two piecestogether. The station includes a swaging punch and means for moving thepunch towards the nest anvil by a distance sufficient to impart thenecessary deformation. Proper alignment of the cross member is ensuredby lateral stripper elements acting concurrently with the die to exert aforce upon the cross member in opposition to the lateral nest supportmeans, and to hold the cross member in contact with the base element ata desired spatial orientation. Any potentially damaging forcetransferred from the punch to the lateral portions of the cross memberare absorbed by the yieldable lateral supports, thereby preventinginjury to the cross member. In a particular embodiment the punch isprovided with a plurality of impact surfaces to deform the projection ata plurality of locations and thereby create a more stable joinder of thetwo pieces. In the case of a base element having a projection comprisinga pair of prongs, the punch is provided with a head having a pluralityof impact surfaces in alignment with each prong, each of the impactsurfaces including inclined side walls to push prong material outwardtoward the cross member, and a flattened apex between the inclined wallsfor limiting the penetration of the impact surface into its associatedprong.

Another feature of the invention deals with apparatus for moving thenests between the above-mentioned stations and comprehends a turntablesupport for the nests and a stationary table below and in closeproximity with the turntable. According to this feature, a thrust plateextends upward from the stationary table in vertical alignment with theswaging station to absorb the impact of the swaging punch. An annularkeyway is formed in the lower portion of the turntable to accommodatethe thrust plate when the turntable is rotated.

A discharge station located subsequent to the swaging station includesmeans for discharge a joined cross member and base element from thenext, employing in a particular embodiment a split jaw adapted tobalance a joined assembly. A reciprocating arm moves the jaw between thenest location and a drop off point, with means provided to move the jawto a first position during a forward stroke of the arm to engage a crossmember in a nest and lift the assembly up and out of the nest. Means arealso included to move the jaw to a second position during a returnstroke at the drop off point to release the assembly from the jaw.

Other objects, features and advantages will occur to one skilled in theart from the following description of a particular embodiment of theinvention, taken together with the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an overall layout of a machine embodying thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view in side elevation taken along lines 2-2 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a support nest, showing thearrangement of a base element and cross member thereupon;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are respectively plan and side elevation views of thenests shown in FIG. 3 and mounted on a turntable;

FIG. 6 is a partial view in side elevation of the base element and crossmember of FIG. 3 after joinder by the present machine;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the cross member of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are respectively sectional plan and side elevation viewsof a base element loading station;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a gate employed in the station of FIGS.8 and 9;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view showing the release mechanism of thegate shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a partially cut away view in side elevation of a cross memberfeed station;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view in frontal elevation taken along the lines13-13 of FIG. 12;

FIGS. 14a and 14b are respectively frontal and sectional side elevationviews showing the device of FIG. 13 feeding a cross member onto a baseelement;

FIG. 15 is a partially sectional view in side elevation showing aswaging station;

FIGS. 16a and 16b are respectively sectional frontal elevation andbottom views of a swaging punch taken along lines l6a-16a and 16b-l6b ofFIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower portion of aswaging punch;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of the junction site of a cross member andbase element after swaging with the punch shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a section view of a swaging station stabilizer arm takenalong lines 19-19 of FIG. 15 showing the stabilizer arm engaging a baseelement held in a nest;

FIG. 20 is a plan view of a station for discharging a joined crossmember and base element from the machine;

FIG. 21 is a view in side elevation of the discharge station of FIG. 20,showing the initial engagement of a joined assembly and in dashed linesthe assembly drop off; and

FIG. 22 is a frontal elevation view of a moveable carrying jaw employedat the discharge station.

DESCRIPTION OF A PARTICULAR EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, thereis shown a machine embodying the present invention for repeatedly,accurately and securely joining cross members to base elements withoutdamage to the joined pieces. In the general layout shown, a plurality ofsupport nests 2 are equidistantly disposed in a circular pattern on theupper surface of an aluminum turntable 4. A drive shaft (not shown) isprovided to synchronously rotate the turntable 4 and drive the variousstations described below, with the turntable 4 momentarily pausing aseach nest arrives at a station. Base elements are stored in a loadingstation 100, replenished from storage bin 102 along vibrating track 104which arranges the base elements in a proper orientation describedhereinafter for loading onto a nest 2. A cross member feed station 200is supplied with cross members from storage bin 202 along vibratingtrack 204. The station 200 feeds a cross member onto a base element heldin a nest 2 after the turntable 4 has rotated the nest in acounterclockwise direction from load station 100. Proceedingcounterclockwise, a swaging station 300 locks the two pieces together bymeans of a swaging punch 304 held at the bottom of ram 302 and driven ina vertically reciprocating stroke. Discharge station 400 is providedbetween the swaging station 300 and load station to clear a completeassembly from the nest following swaging, leaving the nest ready toproceed through another cycle. Detection devices 500-508 are provided tocheck for proper machine operation.

Relatively large swaging forces are necessary to ensure a secure joint,the razor apparatus described below requiring a swaging pressure in theorder of about 1,600 psi. Apparatus for safely absorbing thisconcentrated force includes a stationary table 6 immediately belowturntable 4 and separated therefrom by a gap of approximately 0.06 inch.Hardened steel thrust plate 8 is lodged in the stationary table 6 andextends above the upper surface thereof in vertical alignment with theswaging punch 304. The thrust plate 8 is accommodated in an annularkeyway 10 in the lower portion of turntable 4, serving to absorb theswaging impact and thereby prevent damage to the turntable 4.

The remaining drawings show particular aspects of the machine describedin general above. A support nest 2 for securely holding the two piecesin proper alignment during the swaging operation and that effectivelyremoves the danger of damaging the pieces is shown in FIGS. 3-5. Thedesign of the nest is somewhat dependent of course upon the particularshape of the pieces sought to be joined. As the invention has been founduseful in locking a slide member 12 onto a back 14 piece to form acomplete base assembly for a razor, a nest adapted to support thesepieces is illustrated. The base element (back) 14 comprises an elongatedhandle 16 with a small inclined portion 18 at the upper end and a pairof prongs 20 projecting upward from the topmost surface of portion 18.Cross member (slide) 12, also shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 14a, 14b, and 18,includes a central bottom wall 22 having a pair of perforations 24through which prongs 20 extend when the razor pieces are coupled, andlateral bottom walls 26 each having a longitudinal slot 28. Outwardextending lips 30 run along the top edge of the cross member 12 and areadvantageously employed at the feed station 200. Typical dimensions fora cross member are approximately as follows: 0.03 inch wall thickness,1.5 inch long, 0.20 inch wide at the bottom, 0.275 inch wide across thelips 30, and 0.2 inch high. Perforations 24 are 0.11 inch long and 0.05inch wide, with prongs 20 approximately the same cross-sectional size.

The nest includes a raised anvil 32 with an upper surface conforming tothe rear of the base element 14 for supporting the base element withprongs 20 pointed upward and the lower end secured by stop 34. Theportion of anvil 32 below prongs 20 extends as a continuous piece ofmetal to the bottom of the nest, thereby providing a solid base forswaging. On each side of anvil 32 is a generally triangular section 36having a narrow inclined upper ledge parallel to and somewhat below theupper surface of the anvil, and a rear vertical wall located slightlyforward of the back of the anvil. A vertical block 38 is located just tothe rear of the anvil 32 and is of equal height. The forward walls ofblock 38 flank the anvil and together with the rear walls of sections 36form a pair of shallow vertical channels 40, with the anvil 32 formingthe rear channel wall. Anvil 32, sections 36 and block 38 are joined tothe nest base, which includes side flanges 42 having screw holes 44through which the nest may be screwed onto the upper surface ofturntable 4, and also a lower nest extension 46 adapted to fit securelywithin a corresponding slot provided in the turntable. The forwardportion 48 of extension 46 reaches down to the stationary table 6, whilethe remainder 50 of the nest extension 46 is foreshortened to allow forpassage over thrust plate 8.

A pair of matched support bars 52 sit within the channels 40 uponsprings 54, each of which is bottomed below the channels in a shallowrecess 56 in the nest base. The upper ends of the support bars 52 arenotched to receive a cross member 12, with the bottom notch walls 58located slightly above the base of prongs 20 and directly to each sidewhen the pieces are assembled in the next. Retainer plates 60 traversethe outsides of channels 40 and are held in place on one side by screws62 passed through openings 64 in the plates and into tapped screw holes72 in block 38. Support bars 52 are thereby capable only of verticalmovement when seated upon springs 54 in the channels 40. Dowel 74,extending through slots 76 in the support bars 52 and a correspondingslot in the anvil 32, is fixed between indentations 78 formed on theinner surfaces of plates 60, and holds the support bars 52 within thechannels 40. A base element clamping mechanism consisting of a pair ofspring powered clamps 80 are attached to either side of the anvil 32above sections 36 by screws 82 passing through holes 84 in the clampsand into tapped screw holes 86 in the anvil. Biasing springs 88 areinterposed between the heads of screws 82 and the clamps 80 toresiliently force the clamp mechanism to close upon and hold in place abase element seated upon the anvil 32. An extension 90 extends inwardlyfrom the foot of the clamp 80 that faces forward as the turntablerotates, and is engaged at the base element loading station to open theclamp for reception of a base element. A striker arrnm 92 is mounted onthe turntable 4 is from of each nest by screws 94, the forward end ofthe striker arm extending out beyond the edge of the turntable toactuate the base element loading station as will be describedhereinafter.

When a base element 14 and cross member 12 are mounted on the nest 2 andready for swaging, the cross member 12 will generally be seated onsupport bars 52 slightly above the upper surface of base elementextension 18, the springs 54 providing a balanced and yieldingresistance to downward movement of the cross member. A balancing forcethat tends to align the piece correctly is thereby applied to the crossmember at all times, while intimate contact between the cross member andthe base element by the compression of springs v 54 is made possibleduring swaging. Should the swaging force itself be unbalanced, the crossmember is permitted to rotate slightly in a vertical plane and therebyavoid harmful stresses, saving the pieces if the misalignment is withinthe allowed tolerances of the final assembly.

Referring now to FIGS. 8ll for details of the base element loadingstation 100, base elements 14 are carried along track 104, down chute106 and into narrow stacking receptacle 108, the interior front-to-backlength of which is slightly less than the length of the base elementsand results in the base elements being stacked on an incline with theextensions 18 inclined down and to the front. Gate 110 at the lower endof the receptacle 108 supports the stacked base elements, and includes alower blocking surface 112 upon which the extension 18 of the lowermostbase element rests. To ensure proper orientation, the first baseelements 14 may be hand fed into the stacking receptacle 108, afterwhich the remainder are introduced from chute 106 and automaticallyassume the correct position. The gate 110 is carried at one end of anarm 114 which is mounted at its other end on pivot shaft 116, a spring(not shown) being wound around the pivot shaft 116 urging the arm 114 toclose the gate 110. When arm 114 is rotated away from the receptacle 108to a stop 118, lower blocking surface 112 is removed from a blockingmode and permits a base element to fall out from the receptacle onto anest 2. Gate 110 further includes an upper blocking surface 120 locatedabove and offset from lower blocking surface 112, the upper surface 120overlapping the lower surface 112 to block all but the bottommost baseelement from leaving the receptacle when the gate is opened. During thetransition from a closed to an open gate position, the upper blockingsurface 120 engages the upper base elements before the bottommost baseelement is released from lower blocking surface 112. After thebottommost base element has been released, spring wound pivot 116rotates arm 114 to close the gate; the next base element supported bysurface 120 thereupon drops down to surface 112 and is ready to bereleased from the gate 110 when another nest moves into position.

Synchronous operation is provided to open the nest clamp when a baseelement is released from gate 110 and to close the clamp after the baseelement is in position on the nest by vertical shaft 122 which isrotatably mounted on stationary table 6 adjacent arm 114. Controldevices associated with the shaft 122 include a cammed surface bearingagainst arm 114, a first lever 126 extending outward from the shaft inline with a nest striker arm 92, a spring 128 mounted between a post 130and lever 126 to resist clockwise rotation (as viewed from above) of theshaft 122, and a second lever 132 extending outward from the shaft inline with the extension 90 of a nest clamp 80. As a nest 2 is moved intothe base element loading station area by counter-clockwise rotation ofturntable 4, striker arm 92 strikes the first lever 126 to rotate theshaft 122 clockwise against the force of spring 128 and open gate 110 bythe action of cammed surface 124 rotating against arm 114. At the sametime the second lever 132 is rotated against clamp extension 90 to openthe nest clamp 80. The turntable 4 pauses momentarily when gate 110opens, allowing the bottommost base element 114 in receptacle 108 tofall out onto the now stationary nest 2. The end of the base elementnear extension 18 first strikes the nest just behind anvil 32, followedby the base element flipping down onto the anvil between open clamps 80to rest against stop 34. When turntable 4 resumes rotation striker arm92 disengages from lever 126, shaft 122 rotates to reclose gate 110under the action of spring 128, and clamp 80 is released by lever 132and recloses to hold the base element securely on the nest.

The station 200 for feeding a cross member onto a base element held in anest is shown in FIGS. 12-14b. Support arm 206 is mounted on stationarytable 6 and holds enclosure 208 at its end, within and below which thestation apparatus is housed. The station includes a pair of jaws 210,212 pivotable at their upper ends about horizontal axes 214 and forminga hatchway 216 at their lower ends. A bolt 218 extends through theintermediate portion of the jaws 210, 212 and is held at the outside ofjaw 212 by a bolt head and at the outside of jaw 210 by washer 220, witha compressed spring 222 lodged between the washer 220 and a bolt head224 applying a closing force to the jaws. Inward facing ribs 226, 228are formed at the bottom of each jaw, with upward and outwardly inclinedupper surfaces 230, 232. The jaws are separated by a blocking piece 234interposed between their upper ends, the blocking configuration beingdesigned to separate the opposed faces of ribs 226, 228 by a distanceslightly greater than the width of the main body portion of a crossmember 12, but less than the width of a cross member across the lips 26.The distance between the jaws immediately above the ribs 226, 228 isslightly greater than the width of a cross member across the lips 26.Operating rod 236 extends through housing 206 in line with nest block 36and is driven in-a vertical reciprocating stroke in synchronism withswaging station 300 by a shaft 238 that is connected at its other end toswaging ram 302. Brackets 240 attached on either side of the operatingrod 236 below the housing 206 support a plunger 242 between jaws 210,212. As best shown in FIGS. 13, 14a and 14b, the plunger 242 has acentral slot 244 to accommodate bolt 218, and moves between an elevatedposition just above ribs 226, 228 and a lowered position in which itextends down between the ribs. A pusher 246 at the bottom of plunger 242has a pair of downward projecting guides 248 that pass through crossmember slots 28 when the plunger 242 is lowered, the inclined inwardfacing walls of guides 248 contacting the inner walls of slots 28 andserving to pilot the cross member 12 onto the base element 14. A pair ofcross member gripping arms 250 are partially rotatable abot pivots 252on each side of the plunger 242 and are biased outwardly by compressedsprings 254. The lower ends of the gripping arms 250 are also formed topass through cross member slots 28 when the plunger is lowered, and areprovided with hooks 256 that snap outwards on the underside of the crossmember 59 to prevent it from falling off while the plunger is lowered.

Upper surfaces 230 and 232 of ribs 226 and 228 are in line with thecross member supply track 204 to receive and support a cross member 12by its lips 26, with the body of the cross member hanging between theribs. Stop 258 on the other side of the plunger 242 from track 204prevents the cross member from overshooting. When rod 236 is lowered,the attached plunger 242 is also lowered, pusher 246 engaging the crossmember and forcing the jaws 210 and 212 apart by the downward pressureof the cross member lips 26 against the inclined upper rib surfaces 230and 232. At the same time gripping arms 250 lower and pivot inwardslightly as they pass through the cross member slots 28, then snapoutwards so that the cross member is held onto the plunger by hooks 256as it is lowered further into the nest support bars 52. Gripping arms250 also block other cross members on vibrating track 204 from enteringthe plunger area when the plunger is lowered. Jaws 210 and 212 close onthe plunger when the cross member has been pushed through and is seatedon the nest with the base element prongs 20 projecting through crossmember perforations 24, the closed jaws serving to hold the cross memberdown on the nest when the plunger is retracted, as illustrated in FIG.14b. Control pins 260 at the lower end of operating rod 236 align withnest block openings 96 when a nest is properly located under the crossmember feed station; improper alignment will prevent a full downwardstroke and deposit of a cross member, the lack of which can be detectedat a subsequent control point.

The cross member feed station 200 also includes means to hold a baseelement 14 in the nest in proper position for a cross member 12 tointerlock with prongs 20. A sickle shaped arm 262 is pivotable at itsupper end about a pin 264 that is held in the housing 206. A springactuated piston 266 urges the arm 262 towards the nest position, the armmovement being controlled by the moving contact between a cammed armsurface 268 and a roller 270 that is rotatably mounted on pin 272 heldin operating rod 236. The arm 262 swings into the nest with an arm head274 engaging and pressing the base element 14 into stationary contactwith the nest as the operating rod 236 is lowered.

At the swaging station 300, shown in FIGS. 15-l9, a ram 302 is driven ina vertically reciprocating motion off the drive shaft by the flywheel-mounted eccentric of a conventional press. A swaging punch 304,held at the lower end of ram 302, includes a platform 306 lodged in arecess 308 formed at the top of an interior chamber 310 in the ram 302,and a punch head 312 connected to the punch platform 306 by a neckportion 314 that extends through the ram chamber 310 and an access bore316. Stripper elements 318 are mounted on a stripper base plate 320 inram chamber 310, and are in slidable contact with opposite sides of theswaging punch neck 314, with a compressible spring 322 between the punchplatform 306 and the stripper base plate 320 biasing the stripperassembly downward. In a relaxed position between swages, the punch head312 extends below the lower surface of stripper elements 318 by a smallamount such that during a downward swaging stroke the stripper elements318 contact the upper surface of cross member lips 26 before the punchhead 312 reaches prongs and hold the cross member 12 down in alignmentwith the base element 14 while swaging takes place. Spring 322 andsupport bar springs 54 allow some tolerance for the cross member torotate in a vertical plane on the in a element should the swaging forcebe off-centered, but otherwise the cross member is securely held inplace. The swaging impact is thereby absorbed directly by the nest anvil28, with a minimum of swaging force being transmitted to support bars52. If one or both of the support bars 52 should become worn, thecompression of the corresponding spring 54 will be lessened duringswaging to compensate for the amount of wear, so that a cross memberwill still be properly positioned. Stripper elements 318 momentarilyhold the stamped cross member down under the influence of spring 322when the ram 302 is withdrawn, permitting the punch head 312 todisengage from the swaged razor pieces 12, 14 without dislodging themfrom the nest 2.

Punch head 312 comprises four separate impact surfaces 325 in aconfiguration that reduces the chance of damaging the relatively fragilebase element prongs 20, while producing a tight and reliable joint. Asbest shown in FIG. 17, each impact surface 324 includes a pair of lowerside walls 326 that are inclined at an angle of approximately 60 fromvertical and converge to a narrow flattened apex 328, the width of whichis in the order of one-third to one-fourth the width of prongs 20. Twoimpact surfaces 324 are aligned with each prong 20 to produce a swagingimpression as shown in FIG. 18, in which material 330 on each side ofaprong under inclined impact walls 326 is deformed and pushed outwardand downward to bind the base element 14 to the cross member 12. Theprong portion 332 directly beneath each impact apex 328 is left as asolid block, penetrated only to the impact depth of walls 326.

A destructive swage is prevented should the nest be out of position bythe provision of control pin 334 on the ram 302. The pin 334 movesdownward with the ram 302 and fits into nest opening 96 when the nest isproperly positioned. Otherwise the pin strikes the upper surface of thenest block 36 and is pushed upward against spring 336, closing anelectrical contact to shut down the machine.

Driven in synchronism with the swaging punch, by an eccentric mounted onthe main drive shaft, a base element clamp assembly 338 includes anarrow vertical central plate 340 that is adapted to fit into theinterior portion of base element 14 and is slidably held in guide track342, a drive arm 344 connected to drive the plate 340 through a spring346, a U-shaped member 348 lodged in an interior plate opening 350 withforward extending sides 352 flanking the plate 340, spring 354 urgingmember 348 against the front end of opening 350, and retainer plates 356bolted to each side of plate 340 to hold member 348 and spring 354 inplace. When a nest 2 is in position at the swaging station, arm 344moves plate 340 forward until sides 352 contact the base element 14. Theplate 340 continues to be moved forward, pushing U-shaped member 348back into the plate opening 350 against spring 354; the front of plate340 then contacts the interior of the base element 14 and is furtherpushed by spring 346 to ensure that the base element is lodged firmlyagainst nest anvil 32 in preparation for the application of swagingpunch 304. After swaging the drive arm 344 withdraws the assembly,U-shaped member 348 bearing against the base element l4,during theinitial withdrawal stage to assist in freeing the front end of plate 340without pulling the base element 14 out of the nest 2.

At the discharge station 400 a jaw 402 is pivotally mounted on pin 404in forward and backward reciprocable arm 406. A cocking lever 408extends through a longitudinal slot 410 in a housing 412 for theintermediate portion of reciprocable arm 406, and bears against adriving arm 414 that is pivoted about pivot 416 in synchronism with theother stations to drive the cocking lever 408 backward to the rear ofthe slot 410. A tensioned spring 418 held between post 420 at the top ofhousing 412 and a spring mount 422 at the rear of reciprocable arm 406urges the arm 406 forward in opposition to the force of driving arm 414.A lever 424 extends forward from the pivot area of jaw 402 and isprovided at its forward end with a small inward facing detent 426 thatmates with a small cavity 428 on the side of reciprocable arm 406. Thejaw 402 straddles arm 406 and, when detent 426 is free from cavity 428,is held in a closed position against the underside of the arm 406 by aspring 430 that is mounted between the top of the jaw 402 and a mountingblock 432 at the front of arm 406. A bar 434 extends forward from thehousing 412 above arm 406, with bumpers 436 and 438 mounted on opposedfaces of forward and rear orthogonal flanges 440 and 442. A jaw pivotlever 444 extends upward from the jaw 402 in line with the bumpers andserves to pivot the jaw upward to a first position when the arm 406moves forward and the jaw lever is struck by forward bumper 436, and topivot the jaw downward to a second position in which detent 426 mateswith cavity 428 when the reciprocable arm 406 retracts and the jaw pivotlever 444 is struck by rear bumper 438. Drive arm 414 reciprocatesthrough an are large enough to cause the jaw 402 to be pivoted againstthe bumpers at each end of its travel.

After striking the rear bumper 438, the jaw 402 is in an open positionwith respect to the underside of arm 406, as indicated by the dashedline representation in FIG. 21. When the reciprocable arm 406 is movedforward by spring 418, the split jaw halves 446, 448 engage theunderside of a previously assembled cross member 12. As the armcompletes its forward travel, jaw 402 is pivoted closed to its firstposition by bumper 436, lifting the joined cross member-base elementassembly 450 out of the nest and holding the cross member in shallowtransverse channel 452 in the bottom of the arm. The razor assembly 450is then carried backward as driving arm 414 pushes against cocking lever408, the jaw being pivoted open to its second position by bumper 438 atthe end of the return stroke to drop the joined assembly 450 onto splitdischarge track 454, the assembly then sliding down the track to acollection point.

Various control devices are positioned between the stations to detectmalfunctions and initiate appropriate control functions, generallyshutting the machine down until the malfunction is rectified. As shownon the general layout of FIG. 1, a first device 500 is located after thebase element load station 100. This device includes a swinging gate thatis struck if a base element is sticking out of its nest, and electricalapparatus to convert the motion of the swinging gate into an electricalcontrol signal. A spring finger electric sensor 502, also betweenstations 100 and 200, checks for the presence of a base element in thenest. Between the cross member feed station 200 and the swaging station300 photocells 504 check for the presence of a cross member on the nest.After swaging an electrical probe 506 tests for the presence of thejoined assembly in the nest, while a swinging gate 508 located after thedischarge station 400 checks for the proper removal of the assemblybefore the nest is brought again to base element load station 100.

The operation of the machine will now be described by tracing the pathof a single base element and cross member. It should be understood thatat any given time a plurality of such pieces will be at various stagesof assembly within the machine, and that for greatest efficiency a fullcomplement of nests will be employed in a continuous production. At thefirst stage of assembly a nest 2 is rotated by turntable 4 into positionat base element loading station 100 to receive one of the base elementsstored in receptacle 108. Striker arm 92 on the turntable hits lever 126to rotate shaft 122, thereby pivoting arm 114 backward to open gate 110and in addition rotating lever 132 against clamp extension 90 to openthe nest clamp 80. The turntable halts momentarily as a single baseelement 14 falls onto the nest anvil 32, the remaining base elementsbeing held off by the upper gate blocking surface 120 until the gaterecloses. The momentary turntable halt also permits the action of theother stations to take place, whereby all the station actions involvinga nest take place during the same time interval. The nest is thenrotated to cross member feed station 200, clamp 80 closing on the baseelement to hold it in place and gate 110 closing with the stacked baseelements again supported by lower blocking surface 1 12.

At station 200 a cross member 12 has been fed onto ribs 226, 228 ofpivoted jaws 210, 212 and is held therebetween by the cross member lips30. When the nest is in position, plunger 242 moves downward with pusher246 engaging and forcing the cross member downward to spread the jawsapart, guides 248 piloting the cross member to interlock with the baseelement, and gripping arms 250 pivoting against springs 254 to snap ontothe cross member and hold it onto the plunger. Jaws 210, 212 recloseunder the influence of spring 222 after the cross member has cleared toprevent the cross member from being carried upward on gripping arms 250when the plunger is retracted. Concurrently with the downward plungermovement, arm 262 moves against the base element to ensure that it isproperly positioned within the nest to receive the cross member. At theend of the feeding operation the cross member is centred on the baseelement and supported on each side by nest support bars 52.

The nest then rotates to swaging station 300, where swaging punch 304 islowered by a predetermined amount during the nest halt. Stripperelements 318 first contact the cross member and hold it against the baseelement as swaging punch 304 continues downward to deform prongs 20 andcreate a tight joint between the two pieces. Clamp assembly 338 slidesforward just before swaging takes place to hold the base elementstationary within the nest, plate 340 pressing against the interior ofthe base element and member 348 against its sides. Unbalanced swagingforces are absorbed in the nest by support bars 52 sliding downwardagainst springs 54 to relieve strain from the cross member. Afterswaging the punch 304 is retracted, stripper elements 318 stripping offthe joined pieces. The nest now rotates to discharge station 400 wheredrive arm 414 is released and reciprocable arm 406 moves forward underthe force of spring 418 to bring jaw 402 into engagement with theassembled product, which is lifted out of the nest and held against theunderside of reciprocable arm 406 as the jaw closes under the upwardpivoting action of bumper 436. Arm 406 is then withdrawn, bumper 438opening the jaw at the rear of the stroke to drop the product ontodischarge track 454 and leave the jaw in position to operate on the nextnest. Nest clamp closes when the assembly is removed, and the nest isrotated to station to begin another cycle.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed there are modifications thereof which will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, and therefore it is not intended that theinvention be limited to the disclosed embodiment or to the detailsthereof, and departures may be made therefrom within the spirit andscope of the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for joining a cross member transversely to a base elementwith portions of said cross member extending laterally outward beyondthe sides of said base element, the cross member characterized at thesite of juncture by a perforated wall having upper and lower surfaces,the base element provided at the site of juncture with malleableprojection adapted to fit through said perforation from the lowersurface of said cross member wall with the head of the projectionextending beyond the upper surface of said wall comprismg:

a plurality of support nests, each of said nests including an anviladapted to carry a base element with its projection facing outward, andvertically moveable support means disposed laterally on each side ofsaid anvil to support a cross member mounted transversely on a baseelement, said lateral support means adapted to yieldingly resistdownward movement of a mounted cross member,

a station to load base elements one at a time onto said nests,

a station to feed cross members transversely onto base elements held insaid nests, including positioning means to emplace a cross member withthe base element projection aligned with said cross member perforationand with said outwardly extending cross member portions supported bysaid lateral support means,

a swaging station including a swaging punch, means for moving the punchtowards said nest anvil a distance sufficient to deform the head of saidbase element projection and thereby lock the cross member on said baseelement,

a discharge station including means to disengage a joined cross memberand base element assembly from a nest, and

means for moving said nests progressively from said base element loadstation to said cross member feed station to said stamping station tosaid discharge station.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein each of said lateral nest supportmeans is vertically moveable independent of the other.

3. The machine of claim 1, useful in the formation of a razor assemblyby joining a slide member to a razor back.

4. The machine of claim 1, wherein-said nest moving means comprises aturntable, with said stations arranged around the periphery thereof, andwherein said nests are mounted on the turntable in alignment with saidstations.

5. The machine of claim 4, further including a stationary table belowand in close proximity with said turntable, a thrust plate extendingupward from said stationary table in vertical alignment with saidswaging punch, said thrust plate adapted to absorb the impact of saidswaging punch, and said turntable provided with an annular keyway in thelower portion thereof to accommodate said thrust plate during rotationof said turntable.

6. The machine of claim 1, including an open bottomed receptacle at saidbase element loading station for stacking a plurality of base elements,a gate at the lower end of the receptacle having a closed position atwhich all the base elements are held in the receptacle and an openposition at which all but the bottommost base element are held in thereceptacle, means for opening said gate when a support nest is at thestation in a position to receive a base element, and means for closingsaid gate when the support nest has left the station.

7. The machine of claim 6 wherein said gate includes a lower baseelement blocking surface and an upper base element blocking surface, theupper surface offset from but overlapping the lower surface, said gatebeing mounted on a pivotable arm, a rotatable shaft at said base elementloading station, cam means on said rotatable shaft operable on saidpivotable arm to movesaid gate between a closed position at which allthe base elements in said receptacle are supported by said lowerblocking surface and an open position at which all but the bottommost ofsaid base elements are supported by said upper blocking surface, saidupper and lower surfaces arranged whereby said upper surface engagessaid base elements during the transition from a closed to an open gateposition before said lower surface disengages from said base elements, astriker arm moving with each of said nests and adapted to partiallyrotate said shaft and thereby open said gate, and means to restore saidshaft to a position at which said gate is closed when a nest has leftsaid base element loading station.

8. The machine of claim 1, including a spring operated clamp on saidsupport nest to hold a base element on said anvil.

9. The machine of claim 8, further including a rotatable shaft at saidbase element loading station, a lever extending outwardly from saidshaft a distance sufficient to engage said spring operated clamp when asupport nest is present at said station, and a striker arm moving witheach of said nests and adapted to partially rotate said shaft, saidoutward extending lever adapted to open said clamp to admit a baseelement onto said nest when said shaft is rotated by said striker arm.

10. The machine of claim 1, wherein said cross member feedstationincludes a pair of moveable jaws forming an adjustable hatchwaytherebetween, the jaws in a first position adapted to receive andsupport a cross member and in a second position spread apart to permit across member to pass through the hatchway, spring means urging the jawstowards said first position, a plunger moveable in a downward strokebetween said jaws, said plunger including a pusher engageable with across member supported on said jaws during a downward plunger stroke,said jaws adapted to spread apart to said second position when saidplunger acts downwardly on a supported cross member, said downwardplunger stroke terminating at a point at which said cross member isdeposited on said nest with said cross member perforation in positionfor engagement by the malleable projection of a base element held onsaid nest, means associated with said plunger to hold on a cross memberduring a downward stroke, and means for releasing the cross member fromthe plunger after said cross member has been deposited on said nest.

11. The machine of claim 10, including pivot sup ports for said jawsabove said hatchway, and opposed horizontal ribs on said jaws formingsaid hatchway, the upper surfaces of said ribs inclined upward andoutward from said hatchway and adapted to support a cross member whensaid jaws are in said first position.

12. The machine of claim 10, wherein said cross member is furtherprovided with wall surfaces lateral to said juncture site, and whereinsaid pusher includes guide means engageable with said wall surfaces topilot said cross member onto said nest.

13. The machine of claim 10, wherein said plunger cross member holdingmeans comprises a pair of pivotable spring biased gripping arms, saidarms including hooks on their lower portions adapted to engage theunderside of a cross member when the plunger is lowered.

14. The machine of claim 10, wherein said cross member feed stationfurther includes an arm adapted to move against a nest positioned atsaid station, a head provided on the end of said arm to engage said baseelement in said nest, and means actuated by a downward stroke of saidplunger to move said head into engagement with said base element topress said base element against the nest.

15. The machine of the claim 10, wherein means are provided to retractsaid plunger following a downward stroke, and wherein said spring meansclose said jaws sufficiently to release a cross member from the plungerwhen the plunger is retracted.

16. The machine of claim 1, wherein spring biased stripper elements areprovided at said swaging station lateral to said swaging punch, saidstripper elements moveable downward concurrently with said punch toexert a force upon a cross member held on a nest in opposition to thelateral nest support means, and said cross member held during swagingbetween said stripper elements and said lateral nest support means incontact with said base element and at a desired spatial orientationthereto.

17. The machine of claim 16, wherein said stripper elements arepositioned to contact said cross member before said swaging punchcontacts said base element projection, and exert a force against saidcross member while said swaging, punch deforms said base elementprojection.

18. The machine of claim 1, wherein said swaging punch includes aplurality of impact surfaces.

19. The machine of claim 18, useful with a base element having aprojection which comprises a pair of prongs, wherein said swaging punchincludes a punch head having a plurality of said impact surfaces inalignment with each said prong, each of said impact surfaces includinginclined side walls to push prong material outward toward said crossmember, and a flattened apex between said inclined walls for limitingthe penetration of the impact surface into its associated prong.

20. The machine of claim 1, wherein said swaging station includes meansto clamp a base element to a nest during swaging, said clamping meansincluding an inner clamping plate, a member having a pair of forwardextending sides flanking said clamping plate, means to move said plateand member against said base element, said plate and flanking memberslideable with respect to each other along the axis of the moving force,and spring means urging said flanking member forward against said baseelement with respect to said plate.

21. The machine of claim 1, wherein said discharge station includes ajaw mounted on a reciprocable arm, said jaw including a pair of spacedapart lifting members to engage the underside of the cross member of ajoined assembly carried in a support nest during a forward stroke ofsaid arm, means to move said jaw to a first position during said forwardstroke and thereby lift said joined assembly from the support nest onsaid lifting members, means to maintain said jaw in said first positionduring an initial portion of a return arm stroke, means to move said jawto a second position during the remainder of said return stroke torelease said assembly from said jaw, and means to maintain said jaw insaid second position during a portion of a subsequent forward strokeprior to engagement with a cross member.

22. The machine of claim 3, further including a pair of spring operatedclamps on either side of said'anvil of each nest to hold a razor backelement therebetwen.

23. The machine of claim 22 and further including loading apparatus atsaid razor back loading station comprising: an open bottomed receptacleadapted to hold said razor backs in a stack, a gate at the lower end ofthe receptacle having a closed position at which all the razor backs areheld in the receptacle and an open position at which all but thebottommost razor back are held in the receptacle, means for opening saidgate when a nest is at the station in a position to receive a razorback, and means for closing said gate when the nest has left thestation.

24. The machine of claim 23, wherein said gate includes a lower elementblocking surface and an upper element blocking surface, the uppersurface offset from but overlapping the lower surface, said gate beingmounted on a pivotable arm, a rotatable shaft with cam means thereonoperable on said pivotable arm to move said gate between a closedposition at which all the razor backs in said receptacle are supportedby said lower blocking surface and an open position at which all but thebottommost of said razor backs are supported by said upper blockingsurface, said upper and lower surfaces arranged whereby said uppersurface engages said razor backs during the transition from a closed toan open gate position before said lower surface disengages from saidrazor backs, said rotatable shaft includling rotation means to open saidgate by the movement of a nest into position at said element loadingapparatus, and means to restore said shaft to a position at which saidgate is closed when a nest has left said razor back loading station. I

25. The machine of claim 24, wherein each said nest has a springoperated clamp mechanism to hold a razor back, and further including arotatable shaft at said razor back loading station, and a leverextending outwardly from said shaft a distance sufficient to engage saidspring operated clamp mechanism when a support nest is present at saidapparatus, said outward extending lever adapted to open said clampmechanism to admit a razor back therein when said shaft is rotated bythe movement of a nest into position at said razor back loading station.

26. The machine of claim 25 wherein said slide member feed stationcomprises a pair of moveable jaws forming an adjustable hatchwaytherebetween, the jaws in a first position adapted to receive andsupport a slide member and in a second position spread apart to permit aslide member to pass through the hatchway, spring means urging the jawstowards said first position, a plunger moveable in a downward strokebetween said jaws, said plunger including a pusher engageable with aslide member supported on said jaws during a downward plunger stroke,said jaws adapted to spread apart to said second position when saidplunger acts downwardly on a supported slide member, means associatedwith said plunger to hold on a slide member during a downward stroke,and means for releasing said slide member from said plunger and therebydeposit the slide member on said razor back.

27. The machine of claim 26, including pivot supports for said jawsabove said hatchway, and opposed horizontal ribs on said jaws formingsaid hatchway, the upper surfaces of said ribs inclined upward andoutward from said hatchway and adapted to support a slide member whensaid jaws are in said first position.

28. The machine of claim 26, wherein said slide member is provided witha plurality of spaced apart wall surfaces, and wherein said pusherincludes guide means engageable with said wall surfaces to pilot saidslide member onto said support.

29. The machine of claim 28, wherein the slide member holding means onsaid plunger comprises a pivotable pair of spring biased gripping arms,said arms including hooks on their lower portions adapted to engage theunderside of a slide member when the plunger is lowered.

30. The machine of claim 29, further including means to retract saidplunger following a downward stroke, and wherein said spring means closesaid jaws sufficiently to release a slide member from the plunger whenthe plunger is retracted.

31. The machine of claim 30 and further including spring biased stripperelements at said swaging station lateral to the swaging punch andmoveable downward concurrently with the punch to exert a force on theslide member in oposition to said lateral support means, the slidemember held during stamping between the stripper elements and thelateral support means in contact with the razor back and at a desiredspatial orientation thereto.

32. The machine of claim 31, wherein said stripper elements arepositioned to contact said slide member before said swaging punchcontacts said base element projection, and exert a force against saidslide member while said swaging punch deforms said razor backprojection.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said swaging punch includes aplurality of impact surfaces.

34. The machine of claimm 33 wherein said swaging punch includes a punchhead having a plurality of said impact surfaces in alignment with eachsaid prong, each of said impact surfaces including inclined side wallsto push prong material outward toward said slide member, and a flattenedapex between said inclined walls for limiting the penetration of theimpact surface into its associated prong.

35. The machine of claim 34 wherein said discharge station includes ajaw mounted on a reciprocable arm, said jaw including a pair of spacedapart lifting members to engage the underside of the slide member duringa forward stroke of said arm, means to move said jaw to a first positionduring said forward stroke and thereby lift said joined razor assemblyfrom the support nest on said lifting members, means to maintain saidjaw in said first position during an initial portion of a return armstroke, means to move said jaw to a second position during the remainderof said return stroke to release said razor assembly from said jaw, andmeans to maintain said jaw in said second position during a portion of asubsequent forward stroke prior to engagement with a slide member.

1. A machine for joining a cross member transversely to a base elementwith portions of said cross member extending laterally outward beyondthe sides of said base element, the cross member characterized at thesite of juncture by a perforated wall having upper and lower surfaces,the base element provided at the site of juncture with malleableprojection adapted to fit through said perforation from the lowersurface of said cross member wall with the head of the projectionextending beyond the upper surface of said wall comprising: a pluralityof support nests, each of said nests including an anvil adapted to carrya base element with its projection facing outward, and verticallymoveable support means disposed laterally on each side of said anvil tosupport a cross member mounted transversely on a base element, saidlateral support means adapted to yieldingly resist downward movement ofa mounted cross member, a station to load base elements one at a timeonto said nests, a station to feed cross members transversely onto baseelements held in said nests, including positioning means to emplace across member with the base element projection aligned with said crossmember perforation and with said outwardly extending cross memberportions supported by said lateral support means, a swaging stationincluding a swaging punch, means for moving the punch towards said nestanvil a distance sufficient to deform the head of said base elementprojection and thereby lock the cross member on said base element, adischarge station including means to disengage a joined cross member andbase element assembly from a nest, and means for moving said nestsprogressively from said base element load station to said cross memberfeed station to said stamping station to said discharge station.
 2. Themachine of claim 1, wherein each of said lateral nest support means isvertically moveable independent of the other.
 3. The machine of claim 1,useful in the formation of a razor assembly by joining a slide member toa razor back.
 4. The machine of claim 1, wherein said nest moving meanscomprises a turntable, with said stations arranged around the peripherythereof, and wherein said nests are mounted on the turntable inalignment with said stations.
 5. The machine of claim 4, furtherincluding a stationary table below and in close proximity with saidturntable, a thrust plate extending upward from said stationary table invertical alignment with said swaging punch, said thrust plate adapted toabsorb the impact of said swaging punch, and said turntable providedwith an annular keyway in the lower portion thereof to accommodate saidthrust plate during rotation of said turntable.
 6. The machine of claim1, including an open bottomed receptacle at said base element loadingstation for stacking a plurality of base elements, a gate at the lowerend of the receptacle having a closed position at which all the baseelements are held in the receptacle and an open position at which allbut the bottommost base element are held in the receptacle, means foropening said gate when a support nest is at the station in a position toreceive a base element, and means for closing said gate when the supportnest has left the station.
 7. The machine of claim 6 wherein said gateincludes a lower base element blocking surface and an upper base elementblocking surface, the upper surface offset from but overlapping thelower surface, said gate being mounted on a pivotable arm, a rotatableshaft at said base element loading station, cam means on said rotatableshaft operable on said pivotable arm to move said gate between a closedposition at which all the base elements in said receptacle are supportedby said lower blocking surface and an open position at which all but thebottommost of said base elements are supported by said upper blockingsurface, said upper and lower surfaces arranged whereby said uppersurface engages said base elements during the transition from a closedto an open gate position before said lower surface disengages from saidbase elements, a striker arm moving with each of said nests and adaptedto partially rotate said shaft and thereby open said gate, and means torestore said shaft to a position at which said gate is closed when anest has left said base element loading station.
 8. The machine of claim1, including a spring operated clamp on said support nest to hold a baseelement on said anvil.
 9. The machine of claim 8, further including arotatable shaft at said base element loading station, a lever extendingoutwardly from said shaft a distance sufficient to engage said springoperated clamp when a support nest is present at said station, and astriker arm moving with each of said nests and adapted to partiallyrotate said shaft, said outward extending lever adapted to open saidclamp to admit a base element onto said nest when said shaft is rotatedby said striker arm.
 10. The machine of claim 1, wherein said crossmember feed station includes a pair of moveable jaws forming anadjustable hatchway therebetween, the jaws in a first position adaptedto receive and support a cross member and in a second position spreadapart to permit a cross member to pass through the hatchway, springmeans urging the jaws towards said first position, a plunger moVeable ina downward stroke between said jaws, said plunger including a pusherengageable with a cross member supported on said jaws during a downwardplunger stroke, said jaws adapted to spread apart to said secondposition when said plunger acts downwardly on a supported cross member,said downward plunger stroke terminating at a point at which said crossmember is deposited on said nest with said cross member perforation inposition for engagement by the malleable projection of a base elementheld on said nest, means associated with said plunger to hold on a crossmember during a downward stroke, and means for releasing the crossmember from the plunger after said cross member has been deposited onsaid nest.
 11. The machine of claim 10, including pivot supports forsaid jaws above said hatchway, and opposed horizontal ribs on said jawsforming said hatchway, the upper surfaces of said ribs inclined upwardand outward from said hatchway and adapted to support a cross memberwhen said jaws are in said first position.
 12. The machine of claim 10,wherein said cross member is further provided with wall surfaces lateralto said juncture site, and wherein said pusher includes guide meansengageable with said wall surfaces to pilot said cross member onto saidnest.
 13. The machine of claim 10, wherein said plunger cross memberholding means comprises a pair of pivotable spring biased gripping arms,said arms including hooks on their lower portions adapted to engage theunderside of a cross member when the plunger is lowered.
 14. The machineof claim 10, wherein said cross member feed station further includes anarm adapted to move against a nest positioned at said station, a headprovided on the end of said arm to engage said base element in saidnest, and means actuated by a downward stroke of said plunger to movesaid head into engagement with said base element to press said baseelement against the nest.
 15. The machine of the claim 10, wherein meansare provided to retract said plunger following a downward stroke, andwherein said spring means close said jaws sufficiently to release across member from the plunger when the plunger is retracted.
 16. Themachine of claim 1, wherein spring biased stripper elements are providedat said swaging station lateral to said swaging punch, said stripperelements moveable downward concurrently with said punch to exert a forceupon a cross member held on a nest in opposition to the lateral nestsupport means, and said cross member held during swaging between saidstripper elements and said lateral nest support means in contact withsaid base element and at a desired spatial orientation thereto.
 17. Themachine of claim 16, wherein said stripper elements are positioned tocontact said cross member before said swaging punch contacts said baseelement projection, and exert a force against said cross member whilesaid swaging punch deforms said base element projection.
 18. The machineof claim 1, wherein said swaging punch includes a plurality of impactsurfaces.
 19. The machine of claim 18, useful with a base element havinga projection which comprises a pair of prongs, wherein said swagingpunch includes a punch head having a plurality of said impact surfacesin alignment with each said prong, each of said impact surfacesincluding inclined side walls to push prong material outward toward saidcross member, and a flattened apex between said inclined walls forlimiting the penetration of the impact surface into its associatedprong.
 20. The machine of claim 1, wherein said swaging station includesmeans to clamp a base element to a nest during swaging, said clampingmeans including an inner clamping plate, a member having a pair offorward extending sides flanking said clamping plate, means to move saidplate and member against said base element, said plate and flankingmember slideable with respect to each other along the axis of the movingforce, and spring means urging said flanking member forward against saIdbase element with respect to said plate.
 21. The machine of claim 1,wherein said discharge station includes a jaw mounted on a reciprocablearm, said jaw including a pair of spaced apart lifting members to engagethe underside of the cross member of a joined assembly carried in asupport nest during a forward stroke of said arm, means to move said jawto a first position during said forward stroke and thereby lift saidjoined assembly from the support nest on said lifting members, means tomaintain said jaw in said first position during an initial portion of areturn arm stroke, means to move said jaw to a second position duringthe remainder of said return stroke to release said assembly from saidjaw, and means to maintain said jaw in said second position during aportion of a subsequent forward stroke prior to engagement with a crossmember.
 22. The machine of claim 3, further including a pair of springoperated clamps on either side of said anvil of each nest to hold arazor back element therebetwen.
 23. The machine of claim 22 and furtherincluding loading apparatus at said razor back loading stationcomprising: an open bottomed receptacle adapted to hold said razor backsin a stack, a gate at the lower end of the receptacle having a closedposition at which all the razor backs are held in the receptacle and anopen position at which all but the bottommost razor back are held in thereceptacle, means for opening said gate when a nest is at the station ina position to receive a razor back, and means for closing said gate whenthe nest has left the station.
 24. The machine of claim 23, wherein saidgate includes a lower element blocking surface and an upper elementblocking surface, the upper surface offset from but overlapping thelower surface, said gate being mounted on a pivotable arm, a rotatableshaft with cam means thereon operable on said pivotable arm to move saidgate between a closed position at which all the razor backs in saidreceptacle are supported by said lower blocking surface and an openposition at which all but the bottommost of said razor backs aresupported by said upper blocking surface, said upper and lower surfacesarranged whereby said upper surface engages said razor backs during thetransition from a closed to an open gate position before said lowersurface disengages from said razor backs, said rotatable shaftincludling rotation means to open said gate by the movement of a nestinto position at said element loading apparatus, and means to restoresaid shaft to a position at which said gate is closed when a nest hasleft said razor back loading station.
 25. The machine of claim 24,wherein each said nest has a spring operated clamp mechanism to hold arazor back, and further including a rotatable shaft at said razor backloading station, and a lever extending outwardly from said shaft adistance sufficient to engage said spring operated clamp mechanism whena support nest is present at said apparatus, said outward extendinglever adapted to open said clamp mechanism to admit a razor back thereinwhen said shaft is rotated by the movement of a nest into position atsaid razor back loading station.
 26. The machine of claim 25 whereinsaid slide member feed station comprises a pair of moveable jaws formingan adjustable hatchway therebetween, the jaws in a first positionadapted to receive and support a slide member and in a second positionspread apart to permit a slide member to pass through the hatchway,spring means urging the jaws towards said first position, a plungermoveable in a downward stroke between said jaws, said plunger includinga pusher engageable with a slide member supported on said jaws during adownward plunger stroke, said jaws adapted to spread apart to saidsecond position when said plunger acts downwardly on a supported slidemember, means associated with said plunger to hold on a slide memberduring a downward stroke, and means for releasing said slide member fromsaid plunger and thereby dEposit the slide member on said razor back.27. The machine of claim 26, including pivot supports for said jawsabove said hatchway, and opposed horizontal ribs on said jaws formingsaid hatchway, the upper surfaces of said ribs inclined upward andoutward from said hatchway and adapted to support a slide member whensaid jaws are in said first position.
 28. The machine of claim 26,wherein said slide member is provided with a plurality of spaced apartwall surfaces, and wherein said pusher includes guide means engageablewith said wall surfaces to pilot said slide member onto said support.29. The machine of claim 28, wherein the slide member holding means onsaid plunger comprises a pivotable pair of spring biased gripping arms,said arms including hooks on their lower portions adapted to engage theunderside of a slide member when the plunger is lowered.
 30. The machineof claim 29, further including means to retract said plunger following adownward stroke, and wherein said spring means close said jawssufficiently to release a slide member from the plunger when the plungeris retracted.
 31. The machine of claim 30 and further including springbiased stripper elements at said swaging station lateral to the swagingpunch and moveable downward concurrently with the punch to exert a forceon the slide member in oposition to said lateral support means, theslide member held during stamping between the stripper elements and thelateral support means in contact with the razor back and at a desiredspatial orientation thereto.
 32. The machine of claim 31, wherein saidstripper elements are positioned to contact said slide member beforesaid swaging punch contacts said base element projection, and exert aforce against said slide member while said swaging punch deforms saidrazor back projection.
 33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein saidswaging punch includes a plurality of impact surfaces.
 34. The machineof claimm 33 wherein said swaging punch includes a punch head having aplurality of said impact surfaces in alignment with each said prong,each of said impact surfaces including inclined side walls to push prongmaterial outward toward said slide member, and a flattened apex betweensaid inclined walls for limiting the penetration of the impact surfaceinto its associated prong.
 35. The machine of claim 34 wherein saiddischarge station includes a jaw mounted on a reciprocable arm, said jawincluding a pair of spaced apart lifting members to engage the undersideof the slide member during a forward stroke of said arm, means to movesaid jaw to a first position during said forward stroke and thereby liftsaid joined razor assembly from the support nest on said liftingmembers, means to maintain said jaw in said first position during aninitial portion of a return arm stroke, means to move said jaw to asecond position during the remainder of said return stroke to releasesaid razor assembly from said jaw, and means to maintain said jaw insaid second position during a portion of a subsequent forward strokeprior to engagement with a slide member.